May 13, 2025 • 22 mins
Descend with us into Virginia's spectacular underworld as we explore the hidden realm of wild caves. Unlike commercial show caves, wild caves offer an authentic adventure where nature remains largely untouched.
Virginia State Parks’ ranger-led caving programs provide the perfect gateway into this mysterious environment. Ranger Erin Pitts from New River Trail State Park shares insights about cave ecosystems, rare species, and the delicate formations found in these subterranean environments.
Whether you're seeking adventure, discovery, or simply a cool respite from the outside heat, Virginia's caves offer unforgettable adventures that you must experience for yourself to truly capture their wonder. Let’s Go!
In part 2 of this episode, Ranger Erin describes unique features and formations you can experience in the underground, memorable wild caving adventures, and how to register for an upcoming ranger-led program.
This is part 2 of a two-part episode.
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Mentioned in this Episode:
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Register for Wild Caving at New River Trail State Park ("Lone Ash Cave Adventures")
Register for Wild Caving at Natural Tunnel State Park ("Wild Cave Tour: Bolling Cave/Pannell Cave")
The Virginia Cave and Karst Trail
Episode 36: Caverns and Caving in Virginia's Karst Regions
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jessica Bowser (00:01):
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia, I'm your host, Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, descend with us intoVirginia's spectacular
underworld as we explore thehidden realm of wild caves.
Unlike commercial show caves,wild caves offer an authentic
adventure where nature remainslargely untouched Virginia State
Parks Ranger led caving programsprovide the perfect gateway into
(00:46):
this mysterious environment.
Ranger Aaron Pitts from NewRiver Trail State Park shares
insights about cave ecosystems,rare species and the delicate
formations found in thesesubterranean environments,
whether you're seeking adventurediscovery or simply a cool
respite from the outside heat,Virginia's caves offer
unforgettable adventures thatyou must experience for yourself
(01:09):
to truly capture their wonder.
Let's go. This is part two of atwo part episode with
campgrounds open and summer onthe horizon, Virginia State
Parks is offering visitors ofall ages the opportunity to
explore the natural and culturalwonders of Virginia. Diverse
(01:32):
programming is designed toinspire curiosity, foster
environmental stewardship andprovide enriching outdoor
experiences for families,students and nature enthusiasts
alike, join us at Virginia StateParks for exciting, family
friendly events that invite youto explore the outdoors. For a
full schedule of events,including park locations and
(01:53):
program details, click onVirginia State Parks events in
your show notes. You mentionedstalagmites and stalactites are
there other interesting orunique features and formations a
visitor might encounter inside acave?
Unknown (02:08):
Absolutely. One of my favorites. I talked about the
hydrophobic bacteria. So it'smats of bacteria where the water
is repelled by it. So it kind oflooks like it's glowing and it
looks like almost constellationsin the sky. I don't know who
comes up with these names, butthere are some really fun names
that you can of formations thatyou can find inside of a cave.
(02:28):
So cave popcorn is one of them.
It's a type of speleothem, andit's just small balls of
minerals like calcite andgypsum. But it does look like
popcorn, so that's aninteresting feature that we can
see on cave walls. Cave bacon,it's also known as cave drapes,
or curtains or ribbons, becauseof their shape, but it's called
Bacon because sometimes thosecave curtains can be so thin
(02:49):
that if you were to shine aflashlight or a light through
it, it has little stripes orstriations, and it does actually
kind of look like bacon. Maybethe cavers were just hungry. And
then soda straws, those arereally unique. They're very
fragile looking cave formations,and they're little mineral
tubes. They're hollow, and youcan see the water dripping
(03:11):
through the tubes. And sometimesthe tube will get clogged, and
it forces that water to flowoutside of the straw, and it
eventually will form astalactite. And another fun
thing I like to educate peopleon is that stalactites, they
hang tight to the cave ceiling,and stalagmites, they might
reach the cave ceiling one day.
Jessica Bowser (03:33):
That's a good way to remember it, because I
always forget the differencebetween the two, and I'm also
really bad at remembering thenames of other formations, like
I have seen crystal formationsin caves that look like flowers
blooming. I don't know whatthose are called, but when I was
at natural tunnel, I guess itwas bowling cave. There was so
much cave popcorn. It waseverywhere, like it just seemed
(03:55):
like every little passage wascovered in it. And you shouldn't
really touch anything inside ofa cave. You should stay on the
trail. You you you wouldn't wantto touch something like that
with all those jagged, sharpedges.
Unknown (04:04):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, some of the cape
formations, they are quitedelicate too. So there's that on
one spectrum, right where it'skind of rough, and it's like,
you don't really want to touchthat surface, as you mentioned.
You probably shouldn't anyway.
But then there's also reallydelicate features called
rimstone pools. And so there's,it's a very delicate lip where
that weak carbonic acid watertends to pool up along flow
(04:26):
stone, and it creates littlepools. And if you were to step
on it, you would break the rimof that pool, especially in when
it comes to natural tunnel, theyhave some really amazing
rimstone features. We also do inour lonash cave as well. We have
two rimstone pools, and so youhave to be really careful about
where you're stepping andwalking around that. And then
(04:47):
another cave formation is theflow stone, and it looks like
it's just a slick surface. And Idon't know if you remember when
we were in the cave, I alwaystell people if it looks
flippery. It is slippery. Butfor some reason, also flowstone
can be quite grippy too. There'sa little bit more traction than
you think it has.
Jessica Bowser (05:08):
There were a couple flow stones that you
pointed out. And also, I think,a natural tunnel where I felt
like it looked like soft servechocolate ice cream flowing from
the ceiling. And I don't knowwhat it is about the food, but
like all of these caveformations, tend to look like
food. And the pools that youmentioned, there were so many of
(05:28):
them in bowling cave, I've neverseen anything like it. It's like
something out of a fantasymovie. And that's where all of
the orange cave salamanders werehanging out, too. So here are
all these pools that are likecascading down, and then all of
these pools have these orange,bright orange salamanders in
them. And it was so, so cool.
And the other thing about cavingis that you really cannot
(05:51):
describe the experience of it toanybody like you have to do it
to understand what it's like, nomatter how, how many pictures
you take or videos, or how youtry to describe it to somebody,
if they're not thereexperiencing it for themselves,
then it's just not the same.
Yeah,
Unknown (06:10):
I have to completely agree with that, because part of
the experience is also feeling,maybe the dampness of the
environment, the way that soundcarries throughout the cave, how
you walk and move through thecave, and like you said, all of
the interconnectedness of thoseecosystems, you just have to
experience it for yourself.
Jessica Bowser (06:28):
It's amazing.
It's truly amazing. I thinkthat's what I love about wild
caving so much, is it's just socool, and it's so different from
commercial caves, where thingshave been altered, and you don't
get that same sense. It doesn'thave the same feel to it, I
guess. So that's what I loveabout wild caving. It's just
really cool. Adventure seekerswill find endless opportunities
(06:50):
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(07:12):
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(08:19):
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of your podcast listening app.
How are caves connected to watersources?
Unknown (08:53):
We're talking about the rim stone pools, and how the
water pools up and fills onthese flow stone features in the
cave well that water comes fromsomewhere. So that same water
that once formed the cave thatcame from the ground, water that
formed car structures, it justcontinues flowing underground.
So that surface water, it goesthrough those fissures and
(09:14):
fractures in the Earth'ssurface. It flows underground,
and often it connects to variousabove ground, rivers and streams
and that will eventually draininto our watersheds. Caves are
really important because they'reaquifer rechargers and
groundwater filtration systems.
But on the opposite side ofthat, it can also provide a
pathway for pollutants from thesurface to contaminate the
(09:35):
groundwater, and so once again,like fertilizers and runoff,
they can make their way intothese delicate cave ecosystems.
And some car scientists andbiologists, they'll actually put
dye in the water to see wherethe water is flowing, where the
headwater is and where itemerges and exits from the cave.
And that can also help them witha lot of different type of
(09:55):
ecological restoration effortsor even studies. About just
where the water movement isoccurring in these caves. But
once again, karst structures andcaves are really closely
connected to water quality.
Jessica Bowser (10:11):
Why do Virginia's caves need to be
protected? We talked earlierabout
Unknown (10:15):
some of the rare beetles and isopod species that
are found from a single cave andnowhere else, and there are
about 200 animal species foundin Virginia caves, and they're
really restricted to very smallgeographic areas, and they also
occur in really smallpopulations, and some of them
have even been placed on theendangered species list. And so
(10:36):
it kind of goes back to leavingno trace, and how we want to
have these environments remainpristine for future generations.
So it's really important for usto protect these environments,
and part of how we can do thatis through educating yourself
and making sure that you'rerecreating responsibly. And even
(10:58):
some caves, they containvaluable archeological and
paleontological resources. Ithink you had mentioned you went
into a cave and natural tunnelthat also had some pretty unique
early history, right?
Jessica Bowser (11:11):
Yes, at natural tunnel, Rangers Lillian and
Stacy took me into a section ofbowling cave that is off limits
to the rest of the publicbecause of how sensitive the
area is, but it's a very narrowpassage. That's the other reason
they don't take people backthere, because it's a very tight
squeeze. But you have to gothrough a narrow passage that
(11:32):
sort of drops down, and asyou're going through this
passage, the walls of thepassage are clay, and in the
clay, there are scratch marksfrom species of bears that my
understanding is are not blackbears. They're not the bears
that we have today, but they'relike a prehistoric cave bear. I
(11:52):
think I could be wrong. The wayI understood it is that this is
a prehistoric cave bear, that ithad used the cave for a den. And
so there are both adult clawmarks, and then baby bear claw
marks in the walls. And likeonce you get through this really
tight, narrow passage, it opensup into a larger area. And in
(12:13):
the back of the area, there is ahole that almost looks like it
could be a den for a bear. Andthere's just claw marks all over
the wall around there too. Andso Ranger Lillian and I were
looking at that. Just absolutelyfascinated. I just bring this
up, even though it's off limitsto the public because of the
sensitivity of the area. But Ihad no idea that we had these
(12:34):
bears in Virginia, like I'vebeen in caves in Europe, and I
know that there are cave bearsthere. So I'm familiar with the
fact that there are cave bearsthat are no longer around
anymore, that are now extinct,but I didn't realize we had them
in Virginia. So that was a huge,like, Aha moment to me. I was
like, No way. I had no idea. Itwas really, really neat. Yeah,
Unknown (12:57):
I'm so happy that you were able to have that
experience, just so you canshare that with the listeners as
well, because it's very clearthat there's a lot of valuable
resources that caves have thatwe that are worth protecting. So
Jessica Bowser (13:10):
how can listeners support cave
conservation efforts? Well, I
Unknown (13:15):
guess I'm going to drill this one home Leave No
Trace, so just making sure thatyou're not taking anything out
of the cave, that you're notharming any of the cave
formations or structures, andthat you're not leaving any
debris or waste or graffitiinside the cave. But also
educating yourself. Joiningprograms. You can join a local
cave grotto group, which is anoutdoor group that will take you
into caves, especially if you'renew. It's a great way to meet
(13:37):
people who are also interestedin doing that type of activity,
and you can also support theVirginia cave board effort. I
know that there's an initiativeto get a license plate going,
but there's a certain amount ofpeople that have to place an
order for the license plate, aminimum order, in order for them
to move forward with it. But ofcourse, the proceeds for the
(13:59):
license plate will go towardsthe Virginia cave board's
conservation efforts. So you cango to their website and look at
the license plate there. Butthose are just a couple of ideas
on how you can support localconservation efforts for our
caves.
Jessica Bowser (14:13):
I love that, and I think visiting the caves is
also a key piece of it, becauseif you've never been inside of a
cave, a wild cave and youhaven't experienced it, then
you're not going to feel thatsense of awe or that connection,
and people really need to havethat in order to be motivated to
conserve it and just to also beaware and to be educated and to
(14:35):
share that awareness with otherpeople. Yeah,
Unknown (14:38):
that's definitely an education and interpretation
principle, right? You introducepeople to the subject. And how
do you make people care aboutit? Well, you introduce them in
a way that's meaningful, and youconnect them to the resource.
And oftentimes, if someone feelsconnected to that environment,
then they're going to want toturn around and protect it as
well. And so like you said, youknow, introducing yourself to
(14:59):
those. Environments is probablythe first step. Aaron,
Jessica Bowser (15:02):
this has been an awesome introduction to wild
caving in our state parks. Ihave a few more questions. I
want to ask some logisticalthings so that people know how
to prepare for a visit. Butbefore I dive into that, I'm
curious, what's your favoritecave experience or story from a
ranger led program?
Unknown (15:19):
I would have to say that one of the really unique
programs that we offer, and thisis a bit of a plug for one of
our programs that is in the lastweek of July, is our naturalist
week. And so the entire week, Ibring in a naturalist that I
would consider to be an expertin their respective field, and
(15:40):
then they impart that wisdom,doing a park program for us. And
so last year, and also thisyear, we have Penelope Bowser,
and she is a karst fieldtechnician with natural heritage
with the Department ofConservation and recreation in
Virginia. And one of the reallycool things that she did was
educate us on how they do cavemapping. If you think about
(16:01):
caves, they're super complex,right? They wind and they weave.
They have different depths.
Sometimes caves are underwater.
So she was showing us all thedifferent equipment and lasers
that she uses, and the way thatthey map the interior of a cave
and then translate that into apaper map. And so if you're
really curious about learningmore about that, I highly
(16:21):
recommend you joining our rangerled program, naturalist week in
July. One last thing about thatprogram that's really cool is
that we don't want our programsto be cost prohibitive for
anyone, and so in order to makeour programs more accessible for
naturalist week, the entrancefee or the program fee is
waived, and so that program willbe free, but it will sell out,
(16:45):
and you do have to make surethat you register in advance, so
you can call our office, or youcan go online and get our number
to register once again, that'sgoing to be our free caving
program for the year.
Jessica Bowser (16:55):
How can listeners sign up for a ranger
led program in a Virginia StatePark? Well,
Unknown (17:00):
they can call our office. So if you go to our
website, New River Trail StatePark website, and you scroll
down to the bottom of the pagewhere it says programs and
events, you can get a listing ofall of our current program
offerings. If you click on ourcave tour program, you'll get
all of the details of our lonashCave adventures. And then you
can call the office at276-699-6778, to register. And
(17:27):
this space is limited to 12people. It's $15 per person, or
it's $12 a person for groups offour or more. And you do need to
be at least 10 years old for ourwild cave tours for safety
reasons, excellent.
Jessica Bowser (17:41):
And if somebody is planning a visit around one
of these cave programs and theywant to stay longer, where is a
good place for them to stay?
Unknown (17:51):
Well, we have two Park experiences that are on opposite
spectrums. We have primitivecamping. So we have three
primitive campsites. One isalong new river trail, which is
bike in only. And we also havetwo primitive campsites, one at
foster falls and one at Cliffview, so one on the north end
and one on the south end. But ifyou're looking for something a
(18:11):
little bit more comfortable, wedo have our boutique inn, the
Inn at foster falls, and if yougo to their website, you can
book a hotel room. They alsohave afternoon tea and desserts,
and they also provide meals andfood. So it's two opposite
stays, lodging days from
Jessica Bowser (18:27):
from pit toilets to high tea. That's definitely
two opposite ends of thespectrum,
Unknown (18:34):
like that. Yeah. And
Jessica Bowser (18:36):
if you're going to natural tunnel, I stayed in
the cabins at natural tunnel,they have campgrounds too, and
there's quite a few cabins andcampsites at natural tunnel. So
there's a wide variety there. Iknow that they're very popular.
So if you want to plan a triplike this, I would say, do it
with as much advanced notice asyou can, like, don't wait till
(18:58):
the last minute to try to makeyour reservation for a campsite
or a cabin. Do it weeks ormonths ahead of time. Erin, are
there any upcoming events thatyou'd like to promote? The
Unknown (19:08):
second week of July, we have our Junior Ranger camp, and
so one of the days for ourJunior Rangers, we offer caving,
and one of the days we'll alsodo snorkeling and fishing. We'll
do animals and plantidentification, primitive
skills, and then we'll do bikeriding and historic tour. So if
you want your kids to enjoy theJunior Ranger camp, go to our
(19:29):
website. Once again. We werecompletely filled up with our
camp last year, so I imaginethis year we will also fill up.
So make sure that you registeryour campers well in advance to
July. That's
Jessica Bowser (19:41):
cool that there's so much variety in that
I love the snorkeling programthat you've added. You do
snorkeling for adults too,right? We do. We
Unknown (19:49):
have a handful of snorkeling programs that we're
offering throughout this summer,and we have a nice spot behind
our Discovery Center in thehistoric village, where there's
a nice ledge and it's calmwaters. And it's great for
turning over rocks looking formacro invertebrates. If putting
a snorkel on your head is notyour thing, we also have water
viewfinder, so you can stand inthe water and look through the
(20:09):
viewfinder and still see all ofthe amazing underwater wildlife
that way as well. And I alsobelieve that natural tunnel
State Park also offerssnorkeling programs as well. I'm
gonna
Jessica Bowser (20:19):
have to check that out. I forgot to ask them
when I was there. They didmention a paddling program
there, so I need to come backwhen it's warmer, because the
water was just a little bit toochilly. But for wandering
waters, paddle quest, I'd loveto get on the water at both of
your parks.
Unknown (20:34):
We would love to have you.
Jessica Bowser (20:36):
Thanks. Aaron, how can listeners connect with
you? And New River Trail StatePark listeners
Unknown (20:42):
can connect with me by reaching me at my email address,
which is linked in the shownotes. But they can also call
the office at 276-699-6778,which will also be linked in the
notes as well, to register forany of our caving programs. And
yeah, I hope that you reach out,and I do hope to see some of you
in our caving programs.
Excellent
Jessica Bowser (21:04):
Ranger, Aaron, thank you so much for
introducing us to wild caving inVirginia state parks. I had an
incredible experience with youand with the team and natural
tunnel. I think this is such awonderful and unique opportunity
for our listeners and visitorsto get to experience. I am very
grateful to you for theexperience, and I hope to see
(21:24):
you soon at new river trail.
Stay Park. Yeah. Thank you
Unknown (21:28):
so much for having me.
And it was great showing youaround the cave. And once again,
it was nice having you know yourexperience on the unique
ecosystem, so you can share thatwith your listeners as well. I
highly encourage everybody tocheck out one of our cave
systems in Virginia, because,once again, they are so unique
and they're worth protecting.
And if you want to try arecreation opportunity that's,
you know, a little off thebeaten path, then I highly
(21:50):
recommend trying one of ourcaving programs. Thanks for
having me.
Jessica Bowser (21:53):
Thank you. Aaron adventure on Virginia. Outdoor
Adventures is inspired by andsupported by listeners like you,
which is why your messages andfeedback mean so much to me. You
can text me directly by clickingon Send Jessica a text message
in your show notes. I answerquestions, respond to comments
(22:15):
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Click on newsletter, sign up inyour show notes or visit
Virginia outdoor adventures.comthanks for listening until next
(22:38):
time. Adventure on you.
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the
Chesapeake Bay, Virginia is amecca for outdoor travel and
adventure. Virginia outdooradventures Podcast is your local
guide for hiking, camping,kayaking, travel and so much
more. Get the information andthe inspiration to plan your own
adventure right here inVirginia, I'm your host, Jessica
(00:23):
Bowser, descend with us intoVirginia's spectacular
underworld as we explore thehidden realm of wild caves.
Unlike commercial show caves,wild caves offer an authentic
adventure where nature remainslargely untouched Virginia State
Parks Ranger led caving programsprovide the perfect gateway into
(00:46):
this mysterious environment.
Ranger Aaron Pitts from NewRiver Trail State Park shares
insights about cave ecosystems,rare species and the delicate
formations found in thesesubterranean environments,
whether you're seeking adventurediscovery or simply a cool
respite from the outside heat,Virginia's caves offer
unforgettable adventures thatyou must experience for yourself
(01:09):
to truly capture their wonder.
Let's go. This is part two of atwo part episode with
campgrounds open and summer onthe horizon, Virginia State
Parks is offering visitors ofall ages the opportunity to
explore the natural and culturalwonders of Virginia. Diverse
(01:32):
programming is designed toinspire curiosity, foster
environmental stewardship andprovide enriching outdoor
experiences for families,students and nature enthusiasts
alike, join us at Virginia StateParks for exciting, family
friendly events that invite youto explore the outdoors. For a
full schedule of events,including park locations and
(01:53):
program details, click onVirginia State Parks events in
your show notes. You mentionedstalagmites and stalactites are
there other interesting orunique features and formations a
visitor might encounter inside acave?
Unknown (02:08):
Absolutely. One of my favorites. I talked about the
hydrophobic bacteria. So it'smats of bacteria where the water
is repelled by it. So it kind oflooks like it's glowing and it
looks like almost constellationsin the sky. I don't know who
comes up with these names, butthere are some really fun names
that you can of formations thatyou can find inside of a cave.
(02:28):
So cave popcorn is one of them.
It's a type of speleothem, andit's just small balls of
minerals like calcite andgypsum. But it does look like
popcorn, so that's aninteresting feature that we can
see on cave walls. Cave bacon,it's also known as cave drapes,
or curtains or ribbons, becauseof their shape, but it's called
Bacon because sometimes thosecave curtains can be so thin
(02:49):
that if you were to shine aflashlight or a light through
it, it has little stripes orstriations, and it does actually
kind of look like bacon. Maybethe cavers were just hungry. And
then soda straws, those arereally unique. They're very
fragile looking cave formations,and they're little mineral
tubes. They're hollow, and youcan see the water dripping
(03:11):
through the tubes. And sometimesthe tube will get clogged, and
it forces that water to flowoutside of the straw, and it
eventually will form astalactite. And another fun
thing I like to educate peopleon is that stalactites, they
hang tight to the cave ceiling,and stalagmites, they might
reach the cave ceiling one day.
Jessica Bowser (03:33):
That's a good way to remember it, because I
always forget the differencebetween the two, and I'm also
really bad at remembering thenames of other formations, like
I have seen crystal formationsin caves that look like flowers
blooming. I don't know whatthose are called, but when I was
at natural tunnel, I guess itwas bowling cave. There was so
much cave popcorn. It waseverywhere, like it just seemed
(03:55):
like every little passage wascovered in it. And you shouldn't
really touch anything inside ofa cave. You should stay on the
trail. You you you wouldn't wantto touch something like that
with all those jagged, sharpedges.
Unknown (04:04):
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, some of the cape
formations, they are quitedelicate too. So there's that on
one spectrum, right where it'skind of rough, and it's like,
you don't really want to touchthat surface, as you mentioned.
You probably shouldn't anyway.
But then there's also reallydelicate features called
rimstone pools. And so there's,it's a very delicate lip where
that weak carbonic acid watertends to pool up along flow
(04:26):
stone, and it creates littlepools. And if you were to step
on it, you would break the rimof that pool, especially in when
it comes to natural tunnel, theyhave some really amazing
rimstone features. We also do inour lonash cave as well. We have
two rimstone pools, and so youhave to be really careful about
where you're stepping andwalking around that. And then
(04:47):
another cave formation is theflow stone, and it looks like
it's just a slick surface. And Idon't know if you remember when
we were in the cave, I alwaystell people if it looks
flippery. It is slippery. Butfor some reason, also flowstone
can be quite grippy too. There'sa little bit more traction than
you think it has.
Jessica Bowser (05:08):
There were a couple flow stones that you
pointed out. And also, I think,a natural tunnel where I felt
like it looked like soft servechocolate ice cream flowing from
the ceiling. And I don't knowwhat it is about the food, but
like all of these caveformations, tend to look like
food. And the pools that youmentioned, there were so many of
(05:28):
them in bowling cave, I've neverseen anything like it. It's like
something out of a fantasymovie. And that's where all of
the orange cave salamanders werehanging out, too. So here are
all these pools that are likecascading down, and then all of
these pools have these orange,bright orange salamanders in
them. And it was so, so cool.
And the other thing about cavingis that you really cannot
(05:51):
describe the experience of it toanybody like you have to do it
to understand what it's like, nomatter how, how many pictures
you take or videos, or how youtry to describe it to somebody,
if they're not thereexperiencing it for themselves,
then it's just not the same.
Yeah,
Unknown (06:10):
I have to completely agree with that, because part of
the experience is also feeling,maybe the dampness of the
environment, the way that soundcarries throughout the cave, how
you walk and move through thecave, and like you said, all of
the interconnectedness of thoseecosystems, you just have to
experience it for yourself.
Jessica Bowser (06:28):
It's amazing.
It's truly amazing. I thinkthat's what I love about wild
caving so much, is it's just socool, and it's so different from
commercial caves, where thingshave been altered, and you don't
get that same sense. It doesn'thave the same feel to it, I
guess. So that's what I loveabout wild caving. It's just
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How are caves connected to watersources?
Unknown (08:53):
We're talking about the rim stone pools, and how the
water pools up and fills onthese flow stone features in the
cave well that water comes fromsomewhere. So that same water
that once formed the cave thatcame from the ground, water that
formed car structures, it justcontinues flowing underground.
So that surface water, it goesthrough those fissures and
(09:14):
fractures in the Earth'ssurface. It flows underground,
and often it connects to variousabove ground, rivers and streams
and that will eventually draininto our watersheds. Caves are
really important because they'reaquifer rechargers and
groundwater filtration systems.
But on the opposite side ofthat, it can also provide a
pathway for pollutants from thesurface to contaminate the
(09:35):
groundwater, and so once again,like fertilizers and runoff,
they can make their way intothese delicate cave ecosystems.
And some car scientists andbiologists, they'll actually put
dye in the water to see wherethe water is flowing, where the
headwater is and where itemerges and exits from the cave.
And that can also help them witha lot of different type of
(09:55):
ecological restoration effortsor even studies. About just
where the water movement isoccurring in these caves. But
once again, karst structures andcaves are really closely
connected to water quality.
Jessica Bowser (10:11):
Why do Virginia's caves need to be
protected? We talked earlierabout
Unknown (10:15):
some of the rare beetles and isopod species that
are found from a single cave andnowhere else, and there are
about 200 animal species foundin Virginia caves, and they're
really restricted to very smallgeographic areas, and they also
occur in really smallpopulations, and some of them
have even been placed on theendangered species list. And so
(10:36):
it kind of goes back to leavingno trace, and how we want to
have these environments remainpristine for future generations.
So it's really important for usto protect these environments,
and part of how we can do thatis through educating yourself
and making sure that you'rerecreating responsibly. And even
(10:58):
some caves, they containvaluable archeological and
paleontological resources. Ithink you had mentioned you went
into a cave and natural tunnelthat also had some pretty unique
early history, right?
Jessica Bowser (11:11):
Yes, at natural tunnel, Rangers Lillian and
Stacy took me into a section ofbowling cave that is off limits
to the rest of the publicbecause of how sensitive the
area is, but it's a very narrowpassage. That's the other reason
they don't take people backthere, because it's a very tight
squeeze. But you have to gothrough a narrow passage that
(11:32):
sort of drops down, and asyou're going through this
passage, the walls of thepassage are clay, and in the
clay, there are scratch marksfrom species of bears that my
understanding is are not blackbears. They're not the bears
that we have today, but they'relike a prehistoric cave bear. I
(11:52):
think I could be wrong. The wayI understood it is that this is
a prehistoric cave bear, that ithad used the cave for a den. And
so there are both adult clawmarks, and then baby bear claw
marks in the walls. And likeonce you get through this really
tight, narrow passage, it opensup into a larger area. And in
(12:13):
the back of the area, there is ahole that almost looks like it
could be a den for a bear. Andthere's just claw marks all over
the wall around there too. Andso Ranger Lillian and I were
looking at that. Just absolutelyfascinated. I just bring this
up, even though it's off limitsto the public because of the
sensitivity of the area. But Ihad no idea that we had these
(12:34):
bears in Virginia, like I'vebeen in caves in Europe, and I
know that there are cave bearsthere. So I'm familiar with the
fact that there are cave bearsthat are no longer around
anymore, that are now extinct,but I didn't realize we had them
in Virginia. So that was a huge,like, Aha moment to me. I was
like, No way. I had no idea. Itwas really, really neat. Yeah,
Unknown (12:57):
I'm so happy that you were able to have that
experience, just so you canshare that with the listeners as
well, because it's very clearthat there's a lot of valuable
resources that caves have thatwe that are worth protecting. So
Jessica Bowser (13:10):
how can listeners support cave
conservation efforts? Well, I
Unknown (13:15):
guess I'm going to drill this one home Leave No
Trace, so just making sure thatyou're not taking anything out
of the cave, that you're notharming any of the cave
formations or structures, andthat you're not leaving any
debris or waste or graffitiinside the cave. But also
educating yourself. Joiningprograms. You can join a local
cave grotto group, which is anoutdoor group that will take you
into caves, especially if you'renew. It's a great way to meet
(13:37):
people who are also interestedin doing that type of activity,
and you can also support theVirginia cave board effort. I
know that there's an initiativeto get a license plate going,
but there's a certain amount ofpeople that have to place an
order for the license plate, aminimum order, in order for them
to move forward with it. But ofcourse, the proceeds for the
(13:59):
license plate will go towardsthe Virginia cave board's
conservation efforts. So you cango to their website and look at
the license plate there. Butthose are just a couple of ideas
on how you can support localconservation efforts for our
caves.
Jessica Bowser (14:13):
I love that, and I think visiting the caves is
also a key piece of it, becauseif you've never been inside of a
cave, a wild cave and youhaven't experienced it, then
you're not going to feel thatsense of awe or that connection,
and people really need to havethat in order to be motivated to
conserve it and just to also beaware and to be educated and to
(14:35):
share that awareness with otherpeople. Yeah,
Unknown (14:38):
that's definitely an education and interpretation
principle, right? You introducepeople to the subject. And how
do you make people care aboutit? Well, you introduce them in
a way that's meaningful, and youconnect them to the resource.
And oftentimes, if someone feelsconnected to that environment,
then they're going to want toturn around and protect it as
well. And so like you said, youknow, introducing yourself to
(14:59):
those. Environments is probablythe first step. Aaron,
Jessica Bowser (15:02):
this has been an awesome introduction to wild
caving in our state parks. Ihave a few more questions. I
want to ask some logisticalthings so that people know how
to prepare for a visit. Butbefore I dive into that, I'm
curious, what's your favoritecave experience or story from a
ranger led program?
Unknown (15:19):
I would have to say that one of the really unique
programs that we offer, and thisis a bit of a plug for one of
our programs that is in the lastweek of July, is our naturalist
week. And so the entire week, Ibring in a naturalist that I
would consider to be an expertin their respective field, and
(15:40):
then they impart that wisdom,doing a park program for us. And
so last year, and also thisyear, we have Penelope Bowser,
and she is a karst fieldtechnician with natural heritage
with the Department ofConservation and recreation in
Virginia. And one of the reallycool things that she did was
educate us on how they do cavemapping. If you think about
(16:01):
caves, they're super complex,right? They wind and they weave.
They have different depths.
Sometimes caves are underwater.
So she was showing us all thedifferent equipment and lasers
that she uses, and the way thatthey map the interior of a cave
and then translate that into apaper map. And so if you're
really curious about learningmore about that, I highly
(16:21):
recommend you joining our rangerled program, naturalist week in
July. One last thing about thatprogram that's really cool is
that we don't want our programsto be cost prohibitive for
anyone, and so in order to makeour programs more accessible for
naturalist week, the entrancefee or the program fee is
waived, and so that program willbe free, but it will sell out,
(16:45):
and you do have to make surethat you register in advance, so
you can call our office, or youcan go online and get our number
to register once again, that'sgoing to be our free caving
program for the year.
Jessica Bowser (16:55):
How can listeners sign up for a ranger
led program in a Virginia StatePark? Well,
Unknown (17:00):
they can call our office. So if you go to our
website, New River Trail StatePark website, and you scroll
down to the bottom of the pagewhere it says programs and
events, you can get a listing ofall of our current program
offerings. If you click on ourcave tour program, you'll get
all of the details of our lonashCave adventures. And then you
can call the office at276-699-6778, to register. And
(17:27):
this space is limited to 12people. It's $15 per person, or
it's $12 a person for groups offour or more. And you do need to
be at least 10 years old for ourwild cave tours for safety
reasons, excellent.
Jessica Bowser (17:41):
And if somebody is planning a visit around one
of these cave programs and theywant to stay longer, where is a
good place for them to stay?
Unknown (17:51):
Well, we have two Park experiences that are on opposite
spectrums. We have primitivecamping. So we have three
primitive campsites. One isalong new river trail, which is
bike in only. And we also havetwo primitive campsites, one at
foster falls and one at Cliffview, so one on the north end
and one on the south end. But ifyou're looking for something a
(18:11):
little bit more comfortable, wedo have our boutique inn, the
Inn at foster falls, and if yougo to their website, you can
book a hotel room. They alsohave afternoon tea and desserts,
and they also provide meals andfood. So it's two opposite
stays, lodging days from
Jessica Bowser (18:27):
from pit toilets to high tea. That's definitely
two opposite ends of thespectrum,
Unknown (18:34):
like that. Yeah. And
Jessica Bowser (18:36):
if you're going to natural tunnel, I stayed in
the cabins at natural tunnel,they have campgrounds too, and
there's quite a few cabins andcampsites at natural tunnel. So
there's a wide variety there. Iknow that they're very popular.
So if you want to plan a triplike this, I would say, do it
with as much advanced notice asyou can, like, don't wait till
(18:58):
the last minute to try to makeyour reservation for a campsite
or a cabin. Do it weeks ormonths ahead of time. Erin, are
there any upcoming events thatyou'd like to promote? The
Unknown (19:08):
second week of July, we have our Junior Ranger camp, and
so one of the days for ourJunior Rangers, we offer caving,
and one of the days we'll alsodo snorkeling and fishing. We'll
do animals and plantidentification, primitive
skills, and then we'll do bikeriding and historic tour. So if
you want your kids to enjoy theJunior Ranger camp, go to our
(19:29):
website. Once again. We werecompletely filled up with our
camp last year, so I imaginethis year we will also fill up.
So make sure that you registeryour campers well in advance to
July. That's
Jessica Bowser (19:41):
cool that there's so much variety in that
I love the snorkeling programthat you've added. You do
snorkeling for adults too,right? We do. We
Unknown (19:49):
have a handful of snorkeling programs that we're
offering throughout this summer,and we have a nice spot behind
our Discovery Center in thehistoric village, where there's
a nice ledge and it's calmwaters. And it's great for
turning over rocks looking formacro invertebrates. If putting
a snorkel on your head is notyour thing, we also have water
viewfinder, so you can stand inthe water and look through the
(20:09):
viewfinder and still see all ofthe amazing underwater wildlife
that way as well. And I alsobelieve that natural tunnel
State Park also offerssnorkeling programs as well. I'm
gonna
Jessica Bowser (20:19):
have to check that out. I forgot to ask them
when I was there. They didmention a paddling program
there, so I need to come backwhen it's warmer, because the
water was just a little bit toochilly. But for wandering
waters, paddle quest, I'd loveto get on the water at both of
your parks.
Unknown (20:34):
We would love to have you.
Jessica Bowser (20:36):
Thanks. Aaron, how can listeners connect with
you? And New River Trail StatePark listeners
Unknown (20:42):
can connect with me by reaching me at my email address,
which is linked in the shownotes. But they can also call
the office at 276-699-6778,which will also be linked in the
notes as well, to register forany of our caving programs. And
yeah, I hope that you reach out,and I do hope to see some of you
in our caving programs.
Excellent
Jessica Bowser (21:04):
Ranger, Aaron, thank you so much for
introducing us to wild caving inVirginia state parks. I had an
incredible experience with youand with the team and natural
tunnel. I think this is such awonderful and unique opportunity
for our listeners and visitorsto get to experience. I am very
grateful to you for theexperience, and I hope to see
(21:24):
you soon at new river trail.
Stay Park. Yeah. Thank you
Unknown (21:28):
so much for having me.
And it was great showing youaround the cave. And once again,
it was nice having you know yourexperience on the unique
ecosystem, so you can share thatwith your listeners as well. I
highly encourage everybody tocheck out one of our cave
systems in Virginia, because,once again, they are so unique
and they're worth protecting.
And if you want to try arecreation opportunity that's,
you know, a little off thebeaten path, then I highly
(21:50):
recommend trying one of ourcaving programs. Thanks for
having me.
Jessica Bowser (21:53):
Thank you. Aaron adventure on Virginia. Outdoor
Adventures is inspired by andsupported by listeners like you,
which is why your messages andfeedback mean so much to me. You
can text me directly by clickingon Send Jessica a text message
in your show notes. I answerquestions, respond to comments
(22:15):
and share your feedback on theshow. Never miss a new episode.
Sign up for my email newsletterand receive my listener resource
guide with the top podcastepisodes, a Virginia outdoor
bucket list and exclusive branddiscounts for my listeners.
Click on newsletter, sign up inyour show notes or visit
Virginia outdoor adventures.comthanks for listening until next
(22:38):
time. Adventure on you.
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